Of the 6,852 islands that make up the Japanese archipelago, 261 are inhabited
but there are isolated islands with a total population of approximately 434,000
people scattered over an area of 5,255 km2. In the five years from 2001 to 2005,
the population of these islands decreased by 8.3% compared to a 0.7% increase
in the national population. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers
some of these, including the Izu Islands. The Izu group consists of nine separate
islands with a total population of 24,645 people spread over 296.56 km2 (2009).
The largest island is Izu Oshima (population: 8,346, area: 91.06 km2) while the
smallest is Toshima (population: 292, area: 4.12 km2). The primary industries in
the Izu Islands are fisheries, agriculture, and tourism, although the mix varies
between islands. Communication between the various islands is by cargopassenger
boat, jetfoil and aircraft. While each island has at least one harbor,
only five have airports: Izu Oshima, Niijima, Kozujima, Miyakejima and
Hachijojima. The smaller islands can be reached by helicopter. Several types of
natural disasters, including tsunamis, storm and flood damage, and volcanic
eruptions threaten the region. Because of the potential losses that could be
suffered in such disasters, the Tokyo metropolitan government has developed
disaster prevention and response measures for the Izu Islands. These include
supplying residents with hazard maps and evacuation guidance, radios, and
simple signs, as well as developing a transport system for emergency supplies.
This paper discusses present conditions, and future issues with regard to disaster
prevention and response in the Izu island group.
Keywords: isolated island, population, living standard, disaster prevention
measures.